Sale: CNG 69, Lot: 848. Estimate $10000.  Closing Date: Wednesday, 8 June 2005.  Sold For $9000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

[Ancient] INDIA, Kushans. Huvishka I. Circa 152-192 AD. AV Dinar (7.93 gm, 12h). Crowned and diademed bust left on clouds, holding mace sceptre and sword hilt / Maaseno, nimbate and diademed, standing facing, holding long sceptre with bird crest and bands; tamgha to left. MK 298.4 (same dies); MACW -. EF. Extremely rare, only seven examples cited by Göbl. ($10,000)

The god Maaseno (Skanda Karttikaya), is a war-god son of Siva. Typically, the gods on the reverses of Kushan coins are displayed in a three-quarters perspective. As with the Buddha coinage, however, the god here is displayed in a frontal perspective and may depict a representation of a famous sculpture of the god known in antiquity. The tamgha on this coin is that of Huvishka’s predecessor, Kanishka, suggesting that it is an early issue of Huvishka.